Wimbledon Women’s Singles Day 4 Odds & Picks – Second Round, July 1
- Wimbledon has caught up from the rain delays of the first two days, and Thursday’s forecast is fab
- Six seeds in this top half were ousted in the first round, including Serena Williams and Bianca Andreescu
- We look at Thursday’s second-round matches and pick out three we think have interesting value
If No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty was behind Serena Williams as the favorite to win the tournament, she’s the strong favorite now with Williams gone.
No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka is a fair distance behind her.
But the way Eastbourne champion Jelena Ostapenko played in her first round Wednesday against Canadian Leylah Fernandez, she might be climbing up the charts.
Wimbledon Women’s Singles July 1 Odds
| Thursday Matchups | Odds |
|---|---|
| [1] Ashleigh Barty vs. Anna Blinkova | -1430 / +850 |
| [3] Elina Svitolina vs. Magda Linette | -295 / +225 |
| [12] Victoria Azarenka vs. Sorana Cirstea | -375 / +280 |
| [14] Barbora Krejcikova vs. Andrea Petkovic | -345 / +260 |
| [16] Anastasia Pavlychenkova vs. Kristyna Pliskova | -345 / +265 |
| [19] Karolina Muchova vs. Camila Giorgi | -157 / + 125 |
| [20] Coco Gauff vs. [PR] Elena Vestnina | -560 / +410 |
| [25] Angelique Kerber vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo | -360 / +270 |
| [30] Paula Badosa vs. Yulia Putintseva | -182 / +145 |
| [31] Daria Kasatkina vs. Jelena Ostapenko | +145 / -182 |
| Marketa Vondrousova vs. [WC] Emma Raducanu | -335 / +255 |
| Marta Kostyuk vs. Anastasija Sevastova | +114 / -148 |
| Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Alizé Cornet | +120 / +550 |
| Kaja Juvan vs. [Q] Clara Burel | -117 / -106 |
| Katerina Siniakova vs. [PR] Coco Vandeweghe | -186 / +148 |
| Nao Hibino vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich | +185 / -235 |
Odds as of June 30 at DraftKings
Daria Kasatkina vs Jelena Ostapenko Prediction
Seven years ago in the juniors, these two 24-year-olds were a thing.
They have never faced each other. But Daria Kasatkina won the junior French Open that year.
And then, a few weeks later, Ostapenko – a month younger – won junior Wimbledon.
Since then, there has been some spice on tour over five previous meetings – including just a week ago in Eastbourne.
But the Charleston final in 2017 was the start of the spice. And it continued a few months later at the US Open when Kasatkina beat Ostapenko again.
Throwback this because today is Daria Kasatkina's birthday. The reporter asked about Kasatkina to Ostapenko if were friends. But Alona Ostapenko answered "I don't know her". 🤣🤣😂😂 #Ostapenko #Kasatkina pic.twitter.com/60mjwtHMZs
— Andrea 안드레아 💛🐰🏹🇵🇭 🙏🇺🇦 (@andrea_drei01) May 7, 2019
Beyond that, though, Ostapenko has beaten Kasatkina both times they’ve played on grass. And both times, Ostapenko came back from a set down – including last week.
Daria Kasatkina vs Jelena Ostapenko Match History
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Eastbourne (QF) | Grass | 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 | Ostapenko |
| 2017 | US Open (R32) | Outdoor Hard | 6-3, 6-2 | Kasatkina |
| 2017 | Charleston (F) | Outdoor Clay | 6-3, 6-1 | Kasatkina |
| 2016 | Eastbourne (R64) | Grass | 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 | Ostapenko |
| 2015 | Trnava 2 (R32) | Outdoor Clay | 6-3, 6-1 | Ostapenko |
Both former top-10 players are slowly getting back to the form that got them there. This one promises to crackle a little. And given their history, we think it’ll go the distance (+143) with Kasatkina winning the first set (+130).
Best Bet: Ostapenko in three sets (+310)
Paula Badosa vs Yulia Putintseva Prediction
It’s the first career meeting between the two, and the No. 30 seed Badosa is the slight favorite in this one.
The Spaniard is having a much better season. Badosa came into Wimbledon at 23-9, with Putintseva at a pedestrian 13-13.
But Putintseva has a lot more experience, in her seventh career Wimbledon. The last time she was there, she upset Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first round.
She has a way of getting under her opponent’s skin that can get to a player like Badosa, who is pretty tight out on the court. As well, the player from Kazakhstan can run virtually everything down. Not only that, she can make Badosa do what she’d prefer not to do – which is to move up and back in the court.
The grass at Wimbledon is still pretty lush and Badosa – much taller than the lower-to-the-ground Putintseva (generously listed at 5-4), will struggle more with movement and footing. It feels like an upset in the making.
Best Bet: Putintseva (+145)
Elina Svitolina vs Magda Linette Prediction
Svitolina had a great run to the Wimbledon semifinals in 2019. But other than that, her record on grass is quite poor. And the notion of having to defend all those grass points is the kind of thing that can really get in her head.
Svitolina, who went 1-2 in a pair of grass tuneup events, needed three sets to beat Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round, while Linette had a good win over the struggling but super-talented American Amanda Anisimova.
Linette, 29, is a super-fit, top competitor who never beats herself. We’re smelling an upset in this one.
Best Bet: Linette (+225)
Stephanie gets the straight dope from the tennis insiders. On court, she has represented her country internationally. A BA in journalism led to years on the MLB beat and a decade covering tennis globally. She's written for Postmedia, the Guardian, the New York Times and also publishes OpenCourt.ca.
